


I Can Picture Me With You

by SpaceJammie



Series: Oddly Specific First Meetings Fic Collection [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Art School, Art School, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Nude Modeling, Oddly Specific Fic For My Oddly Specific Interests, Pining Tendou Satori, Protective Ushijima Wakatoshi, Sketches, Tendou Satori Needs a Hug, Tendou is an art student, Ushijima is a nude model
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27157126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceJammie/pseuds/SpaceJammie
Summary: Tendou is excited for his first day of art school.He's even more excited when he sees Ushijima, the model his class will be sketching.
Relationships: Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Series: Oddly Specific First Meetings Fic Collection [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982089
Comments: 28
Kudos: 232





	1. First Encounter

Tendou woke up to the sound of his phone alarm going off. He had already snoozed four times. Now he smacked at it irritably, which knocked it off his nightstand. The alarm continued from where his phone had fallen down between the bed and the nightstand. 

After sitting up with a groan, he rubbed his eyes for a moment. Then he leaned over and squeezed his hand between the narrow crack to retrieve his phone. He felt around for it drowsily as the alarm continued to sound out in its loud and annoying way. 

Once he got hold of his phone, he pulled it up and turned the alarm off. Then he checked his notifications. There were none, which didn't really surprise him. He didn't have many close friends. He gently tossed his phone on the bed and then swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. He stretched his legs out straight for a moment, giving his feet a wiggle before setting them down on the floor. 

He reached his arms up over his head with a groan and then ran his hands roughly through his wild red hair, yawning as he did so. Waking up was such a difficult thing for him. He hummed a little tune to himself as he swung his arms and tried to wake his body up all the way. 

His phone started going off again; it was a calendar alarm this time. He frowned at it and picked it up. The screen read _'first day of art class, 9am.'_

Tendou looked at the time and then stood up quickly, making a surprised _'eek'_ noise as he did so. It was only fifteen minutes until nine o'clock. He hurried to throw on clothes. Whichever ones they were didn't matter; he didn't have time to care. And unfortunately he didn't have time to eat breakfast either. If he absolutely hurried and ran the whole time, he might just make it to his art class before it started.

He had been sketching and painting for a long time, and he only recently saved up enough from part time jobs to put himself through art school. This was his first semester, and he didn't want to get started off the wrong way. 

Things often seemed to start off the wrong way for him. At least, it did with relationships. People just didn't really get him. And he didn't really get them either. 

As a child, he had been called strange for being obsessed with drawing people he didn't know. He even did so during class; he would draw classmates all the time, even ones he didn't talk to at all. He would get so focused on his art that the people and noises around him would completely fade away. 

Whenever someone would see him drawing a student that was in the class, they would tease him for 'liking' whichever kid it was. But he had never had a crush on any of them. Or anyone. People were interesting to look at, but not in _that_ way. In seventh grade, someone saw him drawing a naked man, so people started to assume he was gay. Which didn't bother him, because he really was gay; he had known that from a very young age.

He was teased often for being gay and strange, though he didn't actually care what people thought. However, it did add another layer to him that could be misunderstood. But even when people were being mean to him, he found them more interesting than scary. People were just so fun to look at, and were even more fun to draw. Tendou loved to capture life and put it down on paper; especially people.

That's part of what made him so excited for this art semester. One of his classes was on sketching the nude human body. That was literally the entire purpose of the class. Tendou had never dated anyone, so he had never had a live reference for practicing that type of sketch. He had sketched himself in the mirror before, but this would feel much different. 

As he ran at high speed down the sidewalk and through town, he wondered what the model would look like. They were supposed to have just one model to sketch over the semester. And that model would do a new pose each week for the daily class. But he supposed it didn't really matter what the model looked like, anyway. 

It was 9:02 when Tendou loudly burst through the doors of his classroom while panting from his run. Everyone turned to stare at him as the whole group fell silent. But he stood up straight and met all the eyes that were judging him, not letting himself feel intimidated from the attention. He walked confidently over to sit behind the last empty easel. 

While it did have a lot of natural light from the windows, the seat he was stuck with was in the back of the room. That meant he wouldn't have the closest view of the model. He let out a small sigh of disappointment as he settled in. Being habitually late was the price he paid for staying up every night to work on his art, which he almost always did. 

He and the rest of the class focused towards the front of the room when the art teacher cleared her throat to speak. "Our model will be here soon. Please be sure you have all your supplies. The easel you're sitting at will be yours for the semester and your work stays in the classroom during the week when you're not here. You will spend the entire hour during class on your sketch and may stay late to continue working on it, but the model is only required to be here for the allotted hour of class time each day."

Everyone started shuffling through their bags and backpacks for their art supplies. Tendou did the same, relieved that he had packed his bag the night before. He confirmed that he had everything he needed, then took a pencil and tucked it above his ear. He wanted his hands free so he could tap his fingers against the tops of his thighs, which was a habit of his. 

When the classroom door opened, Tendou looked towards it with excitement. When he saw the man that walked through the door, he experienced something he never had before. It was like time slowed down and went too fast all at once. He felt a deep urge to focus on every little detail of the man who would be modeling for the class. 

The man was tall, tan and muscular. He had short olive brown hair and eyes that looked dark from a distance. His expression was serious, as though he were about to do something very important. 

' _Maybe he's nervous about being naked in front of the class? Probably not though, he seems very calm. This must not be his first nude modeling gig,'_ Tendou thought to himself. 

As he was still studying the man's face, the stranger's gaze turned towards him. When their eyes locked, Tendou felt a jolt of electricity flow through him, and he unintentionally stopped drumming his fingers against his thighs. His hands trembled slightly as he felt his heart speed up. He smiled at the man automatically, but the serious expression of the model didn't change. The man's eyes went up and down Tendou's body, lingering back on Tendou's face for a few moments before he turned to talk to the teacher. 

Tendou wasn't deterred by the apparent lack of excitement on the man's part. People didn't usually smile at him or get excited to see him, so he was used to it. What he was not used to, however, was having such a strong drive to speak with someone. He _really_ wanted to talk to this guy. And he found himself wishing he had worn nicer clothes, since he had ended up throwing on an oversized shirt and ripped jeans in his haste to get dressed that morning.

The curiousity he felt about the man was odd to him; he wanted to know the man's name, what the man liked, what he didn't like. He wanted to know everything. And he found himself hoping the class he had been looking forward to would pass quickly so that he could talk to the man afterwards. 

The model finished talking to the teacher and undressed right there in front of everyone, then went to sit on a chair in the middle of the room. He was calm the entire time, not seeming to be bothered by all the eyes on his body. The man sat on a barstool with one foot on the floor while his other foot rested on a low box. He leaned a hand on one leg, and put the other down near his side to rest it on the edge of his chair. He was leaning back slightly while he looked forward with his shoulders relaxed.

It was a pose that he would have to hold for one hour. 

The way the model sat was faced right towards Tendou, and it almost seemed like the man was watching him. He met the man's eyes briefly, then let his eyes go lower. While feeling a flush creep up his face, he was floored as he looked at the man's physique that was flexed so proudly. Many words came to his mind. Strong, confident, and beautiful were the main ones. As well as ' _the most interesting man I've ever seen.'_

The entire class started to work on sketching the model. However, Tendou himself remained frozen. He couldn't look away from the man so that he could start sketching. 

Instead, Tendou's eyes studied every detail of the man, soaking the image into his mind and memorizing it. Every time he looked back at the man's eyes, it felt like they were looking at each other. He couldn't be sure, though. The man was doing a wonderful job of sitting still and his gaze remained fixed towards either Tendou or the window right behind him. 

Before he knew it, class came to an end. And he had put absolutely nothing down on his paper. But he didn't feel worried about it; he felt he had sketched the man into his mind instead, and he wanted to keep the picture there forever. He could likely sketch the man using the image in his mind, because he had a very strong photographic memory.

The male model stood up and stretched at the end of class; he was probably stiff from staying still so long in an uncomfortable pose. The man's gaze stayed where it had been, though, and Tendou now felt quite sure that the man was looking at him. It was confirmed when the man walked over to him, still naked, and peeked at his easel. His voice was as deep as Tendou would have imagined it to be when he spoke. 

"You've put nothing down. Do you not feel like you've wasted the past hour?"

Tendou blinked in surprise as he looked over the man's body up close. It took a moment before he found his voice. "Ah, well, I've quite memorized you. I bet I could sketch you without reference now."

The male model hummed and crossed his arms. "I see. That's a unique method for this type of class. I'm interested to see how your sketch turns out, especially if that's the approach you'll be using."

The man turned to walk away and Tendou almost called after him, but he suddenly couldn't think of what to say. He wanted to ask the man out to eat somewhere, since he was getting very hungry from skipping breakfast. But perhaps that was too soon for having just met; Tendou wasn't sure.

Of course, he had already seen the man naked, so who could say what was and was not 'too soon.' He decided he could just go for it and throw social expectations out the window. By the time he came to that realization, though, the man had already dressed himself and left. He clicked his tongue with regret and decided to focus on getting food. He would see the man tomorrow and would have another chance then. 

Once Tendou had finished his other classes and gotten home that night, he started sketching the man from memory on a sketchpad. He wanted to make a perfect copy of the model, then give it to the man as a gift.   
  
  



	2. Sweet Like Chocolate

That night, Tendou sat down at his desk with a protein bar and a water bottle while he stared at his sketchpad. He was visualizing the model as he ate, planning on what to add to the drawing next. He had spent a couple hours on the sketch already. It now had a nice outline started. And he'd decided to check his class syllabus, where he found the name of the male model; it was Ushijima Wakatoshi.

The image of Ushijima was still a perfect picture in his mind. Once he finished his snackish dinner, he started working on the piece again. He worked slowly and carefully, referencing the image of Ushijima in his mind as he worked. 

He ended up staying awake very late into the night while working on it. It would take some time to finish the piece completely with the level of detail he wanted for it. Not to mention that sometimes he would close his eyes to picture Ushijima more clearly, and would get distracted with that for several minutes before he got back to drawing. It was past 2am when he finally went to sleep. 

The next morning, Tendou ended up having to skip breakfast again because he had overslept.

He threw clothes on and raced out of his apartment. As he hurried across town, he looked forward to seeing Ushijima again. He wondered if that was part of why his heart was beating so hard all morning, even before he had started running. He felt giddy when he pictured Ushijima's face; he really hoped that they would be able to talk to each other again after class.

He soon reached the art school, having made good time thanks to his fast running. As he sped towards the classroom door, Ushijima was just approaching as well. Tendou almost ran into the man. He pulled back and swerved just in time. Unfortunately, he also slipped in his attempt to dodge around Ushijima's body.

As Tendou was falling, Ushijima caught him by both wrists and pulled him back up with a strong tug. Thanks to the momentum, their chests collided and they ended up pressed into each other against the wall that was right by the closed door of the classroom. 

Ushijima's strong arms had come to wrap around Tendou, holding their bodies together firmly. And Tendou's hands were trapped between them, flat on Ushijima's chest. He realized he was essentially pinning Ushijima to the wall and felt himself start to blush. His heart was definitely beating fast because of Ushijima now, rather than from the running. 

He noticed Ushijima was not pushing him away immediately, but was instead continuing to hold him tightly. He was still breathing hard from the run, and he could feel his own heart hammering away like the beat of a drum. He wondered if Ushijima could feel it too.

Tendou didn't want to move away; he wanted to stay right inside the embrace of those strong arms. He felt like his skin was tingling everywhere Ushijima's body was touching him. And he had the most insistent urge to press his face down against Ushijima's neck, but settled for leaning his chin down on the top of the man's shoulder intead while resting his forehead against the wall behind them.

That was probably less intimate and more acceptable for the situation, Tendou hoped. His chin rested comfortably on Ushijima's shoulder as he caught his breath. But his breathing wouldn't quite even out, probably thanks to the jittery feeling of being embraced. However, Ushijima's breathing was calm and steady; it made Tendou feel safe and warm within the man's arms. 

After a few long moments, Ushijima moved his arms off of Tendou. His husky voice broke the silence. "Are you hurt?"

Tendou reluctantly moved his head back and stepped out of Ushijima's arms. But his hands lingered on the man's broad chest for a few extra moments before he finally stepped out of the man's personal space. 

"I'm fine, great even! How about you? Nice catch, by the way," he said, hoping his voice wouldn't somehow reveal the butterflies in his stomach that seemed to be flying up into his throat as he tried to speak.

"I have fast reflexes. I'm glad I was able to catch you, and that you're okay. I'm fine as well," Ushijima said in his deeply rich voice. His face had the same serious look from yesterday, but his eyes seemed like they were giving Tendou a kind of interested look. An almost gentle one, even. 

Tendou stared at Ushijima with widely curious eyes and felt like he was in another slow motion moment. His mind was racing but his body was heavy and slow. He felt like he was being pulled back towards Ushijima, and he had to intentionally keep himself from reaching out for a hug; he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually wanted a hug from someone. 

He wanted Ushijima to speak to him more, so he could memorize the sound of that wonderful voice that reminded him of milk chocolate for some reason. Maybe because the man's voice was creamy? Or smooth? Tendou couldn't figure out just what it was, but he did decide that he wanted to go buy some chocolate as soon as he could. He needed to satisfy the craving he now had for sweets.

Tendou ended up zoning out as he stared at Ushijima. He was lost in thought about chocolate syrup, and what he would do if he had Ushijima at his place with said chocolate syrup. He was totally unaware of the seconds ticking by.

Ushijima moved to pull the door to the classroom open, and then he brought Tendou back to the moment with that rich voice of his. "You may go through first, if you'd like."

Tendou nodded to Ushijima gratefully and forced himself to walk away from the alluring man. He went to sit in his seat, which somehow felt even farther away from the place where Ushijima would be sitting. He wished they could sit closer to each other.

After walking inside, Ushijima stripped and resumed the pose from yesterday. And once again, Tendou ended up studying the man's physique and doing no actual sketching. He basked in the image of Ushijima's body. The man was chiseled like a Greek god. And today, Tendou felt sure that Ushijima was looking right at him throughout the entire class.

Tendou kept catching himself looking back at Ushijima's eyes, and the two would hold the stare silently until Tendou's gaze wandered elsewhere on Ushijima's body. It felt incredibly intimate even though they were in a room full of people. At this rate, Tendou thought he might just fail this class because he couldn't get any work done with a naked Ushijima there to distract him.

He really didn't want to fail though. So after he finished spending the class hour staring at Ushijima, he went to start on his sketch while the other students left. He next class was right after lunchtime, so he planned to ignore his empty stomach for the time being and finish some work. Convenience store rice balls would be his reward to himself for staying late. 

As the last of the other students left the room, Ushijima moved to get his clothes back on. And then, much to Tendou's surprise, Ushijima came over to him and pulled up a stool beside him. The man sat and looked at Tendou with an even expression that held both kindness and curiosity, though only his eyes revealed those feelings. His face was calm and blank. 

Tendou was sure that his own face must look panicked and red. He couldn't seem to make his mouth form words as he looked at the attractive man beside him. After a moment, he went for a silent smile and hoped he didn't look as goofy as he felt.

Before too long, Ushijima's smooth voice broke the silence. "May I sit and watch you work? I'm very curious to see how you will sketch me from just your memory."

Ushijima wanted to sit next to him? And watch him? As he drew the man himself naked? Tendou glanced down nervously and was sure that he must be blushing deeply. Then he looked back up at Ushijima and nodded while trying to give a confident grin.

"Sure, watch me work a miracle with my photographic memory."

While Tendou thought that it might be hard to work with Ushijima watching him, he also desperately wanted him to stay close by. Maybe he would even ask him to lunch after he got some sketching done. And as he started to draw, Ushijima watched him silently. 

After just a short time, Tendou got so involved in what he was doing that he actually forgot about Ushijima sitting beside him. That's how he got when he was drawing. The rest of the world faded away; all he could see was the paper in front of him and the image of Ushijima that he had committed to memory, which was as clear as ever in his mind.

They spent a couple hours there as Tendou sketched and Ushijima watched without commenting. Tendou was lost deep in his own mind as his hand moved his pencil across the paper. The blank page was slowly taking on Ushijima's image, and he was pleased with how it was coming along already.

It startled him when Ushijima suddenly cleared his throat. He fairly jumped of his chair from surprise at the sound which had pulled him out of his focus; he almost fell backwards as he lost his balance. But Ushijima quickly grabbed his arm and kept him from falling. He felt an excited tingle radiating on his arm where Ushijima held him with a firm grip. 

When Tendou was steadily on his chair again, Ushijima spoke. "I'm impressed that you dedicated two extra hours after class so that you could work on this from memory. I found joy in watching you, but I have to leave for my other job now. May I watch you again tomorrow after class?"

Tendou looked at Ushijima for a couple seconds as he processed what was just said. Ushijima wanted to watch him sketch again? They would plan to spend more time together, practically alone? That basically made it a date. Or rather, Tendou really wanted it to be a date. He could call it a date in his mind, at least. 

When he realized Ushijima was still holding his arm, it made his heart speed up. He scrambled for a reply that would make him seem interested but not overbearing. _Ah_ , he could ask Ushijima for his name, even though he had figured out what it was already. That way he could give Ushijima his own name too.

"I, uhm, yes. You can watch me draw any time you want. Can I ask what your name is?"

"You may ask," Ushijima replied as he finally took his hand off of Tendou's arm. But he made no further comment. 

Tendou looked at Ushijima closely; he thought there was amusement in his eyes and the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. He could swear that there had been some playfulness in Ushijima's creamy voice, as well. When he realized the man was teasing him, he gave Ushijima a flat smirk. This guy made some dry jokes, but he found it kind of endearing. 

"Okay… what's your name, then?"

"My name's Ushijima Wakatoshi," the man said as he moved to stand up.

Tendou thought that he could listen to that silky voice say that perfect name all day long. "Well, it's nice to meet you officially after getting to stare at your naked body the last couple days," he said without thinking.

He then screamed at himself internally for saying something so weird. He hurried to speak again and hoped that Ushijima wouldn't notice how dorky and awkward he was being. "I'm Tendou Satori. We don't need to be formal though, so just call me Satori. Can I call you Ushiwaka?"

And then Tendou froze, because he didn't know what had made him think of that nickname. He hoped it wasn't too weird of him to suggest it after only having just met.

Ushijima studied Tendou's face quietly before starting to walk away as he answered. "You may call me whatever you'd like to, Satori. Please excuse me. I need to leave now or I'll be late for work."

Tendou stared after Ushijima as he walked away, and then he realized that he didn't ask for his number. And he had not gotten to ask him to lunch either. But Ushijima seemed busy anyway, so that was not even an option this time. 

With a click of his tongue, Tendou decided that had sketched enough for the day. His wrist was cramping up a bit, so it would be good to have a break. And since he had not had breakfast, his hands were getting a little too shaky for comfort. He really needed to go get some food as soon as possible. And some chocolate syrup, for perfectly normal reasons that he definitely wouldn't admit had anything to do with his earlier thoughts about Ushijima and chocolate. 

When Tendou stood up, he felt light headed. Was it from hunger, or was it because Ushijima would be watching him again tomorrow? It really kind of felt like a date; that thought made his lips curl into a catlike smile as he packed up his art supplies and put them away under his easel.

Tendou continued to work on the sketch for Ushijima when he got home that night, ignoring his fatigued drawing hand. And he decided he would write his phone number on the back of the paper. He couldn't wait to finish the drawing, but he felt a little nervous about it since he had never put himself out there for someone like this before.

That was both from lack of interest and to protect himself. He used to think he would never have to deal with a broken heart as long as he never trusted it with anyone. But that was before he found someone he actually _wanted_ to share his heart with.

  
  



	3. Take A Chance

As the next few weeks passed by, Tendou continued to stare at Ushijima all throughout class each day. And Ushijima would stay late to watch him sketch afterwards. It had become their little routine. 

Oftentimes, they would stay even after Tendou was done drawing to hang out in the classroom together. Tendou would cheerfully talk about himself or things he was thinking about. And Ushijima, on the other hand, only offered information about himself when directly asked. 

Despite that, Tendou felt like he was getting a good understanding of the man. And Ushijima seemed to enjoy listening to him prattle on about whatever was on his mind. As the semester flew by, he found himself becoming very comfortable around his attractive acquaintance. Ushijima had a reassuring presence and a subtle sense of humor that occasionally came out when least expected.

The same pattern continued throughout the semester. Ushijima would stay for an hour or two watching Tendou sketch, they would talk after, and then Ushijima would have to leave for his second job.

At one point, Tendou realized he was falling for Ushijima. It was both a thrilling and nerve wracking discovery.

He had finished his drawing for Ushijima several weeks ago, but he had been too nervous to give it to him since he had impulsively decided to draw himself in the picture, too. And in the drawing, he was leaning his chin on Ushijima's shoulder with his arms wrapped around him. He had drawn himself naked as well, because he had to match the vibe in the sketch, right?

It was a very bold way to declare his interest, but Tendou couldn't help himself. He thought they looked quite good together on paper. And he thought they were good together in person, also. But he realized that he was risking whatever chance he had of them remaining friends by planning to give such a risque drawing to Ushijima.

Tendou had decided to write a confession on the back of the paper, next to his phone number. He had thought to ask Ushijima for his phone number many times, but he always seemed to forget or fail to have the courage. And Ushijima never offered it. 

He didn't want to press Ushijima into being more than they already were, which very well might just be two people who happened to hang out together because they were in the same place at the same time. He didn't have much experience with making friends, let alone turning a friend into a lover, so he was overly cautious about how quickly to move things along. 

The picture he had drawn for Ushijima had been sitting on his desk all the while, mocking him for not having the boldness needed to give it to his crush. He had solid reasoning for waiting, though. Since he was afraid he would make Ushijima uncomfortable by giving it to him, he decided to wait until the very end of the semester. That way, if things ended up awkward, they wouldn't have to see each other again.

Tendou felt very sad that their little kind-of-dates would be ending. He really enjoyed being around Ushijima. And he thought Ushijima liked spending time with him, too. Otherwise the man would not have sat with him every day throughout the semester. At least, that was what he decided to assume. 

When the last day of the class came, Tendou woke up early for maybe the first time in his entire life. He had been too jittery to sleep well. So he ended up just getting up out of bed at 4am, quite a few hours before class. His hands were too shaky to draw anything to pass the time and his nerves wouldn't let him sit around, so he went for a very long run to kill time.

The entire time he was jogging, he was thinking about how things might play out with Ushijima. Best case scenario, the man would accept his feelings. Not as ideal but acceptable, the man would turn him down but want to remain friends. Worst case, Ushijima would be disgusted. 

He really hoped it wouldn't be the worst case scenario that played out. He cared about what Ushijima thought of him. Being fully rejected by the man would be unbearable. 

Once he got back from his run and was freshly showered, he steeled his resolve and put the paper with his drawing on it into a folder. He pressed the folder against his chest as he left his apartment to walk to class and hummed a quiet tune to himself as he went along. Then he balanced his feet on the edge of sidewalks while doing an occasional skip or hop. He was bursting with nervous energy, so he started singing a quiet song under his breath, narrating what he was thinking.

_I'm going to give him the drawing,_

_I hope he doesn't get mad,_

_If he breaks my heart today,_

_I'm going to be sad._

Humming and singing were things he tended to do when he was feeling excited or anxious. It was another one of those things that people gave him strange looks over when he was younger. But judgy people were not his concern; he was living his best life and they could all piss off if they didn't like it. He didn't care about the approval of strangers. The only person's opinion that he really cared about was Ushijima's. 

When he got to the hallway where his class was, Ushijima was standing outside the door waiting for him. Come to think of it, Ushijima seemed to wait for him there ever since the second day of class, when he had almost ran into him. It was something that he had gotten used to and subconsciously came to expect.

Ushijima would nod at him when he walked up, then hold open the door for him. Nothing more, nothing less; and today was no different. But as Ushijima pulled the door open, Tendou thought the look in the man's eyes was almost sad, or maybe worried. Perhaps Ushijima was going to miss seeing him after class every day, too. 

The thought that Ushijima would miss him made Tendou feel kind happy, but also made him even more nervous about the picture he held hidden away in the folder. If Ushijima considered them to be friends and had planned on staying in contact after this, then the drawing might well ruin their budding friendship. 

Tendou put his worries aside as he went to his seat to watch Ushijima undress and sit in the last pose for the semester.

During the whole class, he and Ushijima stared at each other's eyes often. He tried to sketch another permanent picture of Ushijima in his mind, just his face this time. It was in case today would be the last time he ever saw the man. Then he would always have that picture safe in his imagination, even if Ushijima wasn't with him. 

As he had all semester, Ushijima sat facing right towards Tendou during his pose. And Tendou kept searching for hints or signs in Ushijima's eyes that the man might like him too, as if it would suddenly become clear. But Ushijima was hard to read, especially when he was purposely staying very still for a pose. 

Tendou waited until after class to finish up his drawing so that Ushijima could watch him work once more. He thought he would only need twenty minutes after class to finish this week's piece of art. It would be a quick session of drawing, this last one. 

When class ended and Ushijima came to sit beside Tendou, the man seemed to move his seat even closer than normal. Tendou's stomach did a flip as he glanced at their legs. Their thighs were practically touching, and he found it very hard to keep his body still. He really wanted to put his leg over Ushijima's thigh and keep it there while he finished his drawing. 

When he considered it further, he realized he might not ever get the chance to touch Ushijima again if things went badly when he confessed. Since today might be their last time together, he decided to throw caution to the wind. He was going to do it, and he was going to be super casual about it. So he scooted his chair over to close the remaining distance between them and lifted his leg to rest over Ushijima's thigh. He tried to appear calm and unbothered; as though it was a normal, everyday thing. 

However, his heart was racing and he was almost surprised at his own boldness. He knew he was probably blushing, and wondered if Ushijima might be blushing too. But he didn't let himself look over to see how the man was reacting. Instead he tried to focus on finishing his sketch. That ended up harder to do than he thought, though. Partially because having his leg on Ushijima was making him want to climb all the way onto the man's lap. But mostly because Ushijima ended up putting his hand on top of Tendou's thigh. 

That hand felt heavy and warm on his leg, and he really wanted to put his hand over Ushijima's. That was a step too brave for him, though. He had never held the hand of someone he liked before, so it felt way too intimate for him to initiate.

His mind started to race as many questions popped into it. Was putting your hand on someone's thigh a friend thing? Was that normal friend behavior? Or was Ushijima flirting with him? Had he been flirting with Ushijima by putting his leg over him? Were they actually flirting with each other right now?

Tendou shoved all those thoughts away. He needed to focus and finish this sketch. Then he could give Ushijima his confession drawing and find out whether he was going to get his heart broken or not. Today could be the best day or the worst day, depending. With all his willpower, Tendou worked on the sketch in front of him.

But his mind ended up split in a way it had never been when he was drawing; not before now. Half his attention remained on the feeling of Ushijima's hand resting on his thigh. The warm, heavy weight of it was making his skin tingle. It took him close to an hour to finish up the artwork because of his lack of focus.

When he was finally done, he reluctantly moved to take his leg off Ushijima, then stood up. He went to take the paper off the easel and then glanced at Ushijima, who remained quietly seated while looking back at him steadily. 

Ushijima's eyes drifted over Tendou's face, and almost seemed to glance at his lips and linger there for a moment. Tendou automatically licked his lips with a flick of his tongue, then cleared his throat. He considered if he should give the drawing now or wait until after he turned in his last assignment. 

Meanwhile, Ushijima gave him the calm look that he usually seemed to have. But one of his eyebrows was raised in a questioning way. Like he was expecting Tendou to say something or do something.

Tendou hoped that Ushijima wasn't expecting an _'it's been fun, goodbye forever,'_ or something like that. 

He took a deep breath and scolded himself. When had he ever been so worried about losing someone before? That's right... never. This was a new thing for him. It was the first time he had loved someone and felt afraid of losing them.

He decided to ask Ushijima to wait, in case the man might be planning to say goodbye and leave. He didn't want to miss his opportunity to give Ushijima the drawing with his phone number, confession and heart all poured into it. But he wanted to turn in his assignment first so he could run away if things went poorly. He didn't think he could face Ushijima if he thought poorly of him because of the gift. 

"Can you stay here while I turn this in? I have something I want to give you," Tendou said hopefully before he gave Ushijima a flat grin. He bounced on his heels as he waited for a response; his whole body was a bundle of nerves.

Ushijima gave him a very slight smile and a nod. "I'll wait right here."

Tendou smiled wider, then he walked to the teacher to give her his work. But he felt like he was walking through mud. It was hard to move away from Ushijima; he just wanted to sit back down and put his leg back on the man's thigh. 

When the teacher looked at his last sketch, she nodded. "Good work, Tendou. Your skill has really shown in each of your drawings this semester."

Tendou thanked his teacher and then walked slowly back to where his chair was. He was pretty sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest before he could get back over to Ushijima. And wow, his palms were even feeling sweaty. And his breathing was uneven in an obvious way; he was that sure Ushijima was totally going to be able to tell. He had never confessed before and his emotions were freaking out, to put it mildly. 

He took some deep breaths as he walked and soon reached Ushijima. He sat back down on his chair, turning it so he was facing the man he liked. He could heart his heartbeat throbbing loudly in his ears.

Ushijima adjusted his chair so that he could fully face Tendou as well, looking at him expectantly.

Tendou found himself nervously frozen with a crooked grin on his face while he drummed his fingers on the tops of his thighs. He was trying to decide if he should say something, or just give Ushijima the picture and let it speak for itself. He wasn't even sure if he could form words at the moment. 

Ushijima studied Tendou with a calm look, then spoke in his rich and creamy voice. "I also have something to give to you, but you may go first."

Tendou blushed as he realized he was actually going to have to go through with it right then. He reached for the folder that he had set under his easel earlier, and held it in his hands for almost a full minute. He kept telling his hands to move, but they wouldn't.

That whole time, Ushijima was waiting patiently.

Tendou finally found the courage to hold the folder out towards Ushijima, and felt super embarrassed by the way his hands slightly shook as he did so.

Ushijima took the folder without a word and opened it. If he was surprised by what he saw, he certainly didn't show it. He looked at the picture inside and studied it carefully. His face remained calm, and Tendou didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

Tendou cleared his throat after Ushijima had a few moments of silence to stare at the drawing. "There's, uh, something on the back."

After a quick glance up at Tendou, Ushijima took the paper from the folder and flipped it over. He read the confession and then he looked back at Tendou, and his lips were maybe… kind of smiling a little? Yes, he did seem like he was smiling. Tendou thought he looked happy.

And Tendou himself felt very relieved, because at the very least, Ushijima didn't seem to be put off by him or his drawing. So even if Ushijima didn't return the feelings, maybe they could just be friends. He wanted to keep spending time with Ushijima in whatever way he could.

"This gift goes well with what I was going to give you," Ushijima finally said. 

Tendou tilted his head curiously. "Did you draw a picture of me, too? I wouldn't have expected that, I must say."

After a silent moment, Ushijima reached his hand out and put it on Tendou's jaw, rubbing his thumb along it. The touch was incredibly gentle and warm.

Finding himself still as a statue, Tendou's heart started pounding faster as Ushijima looked into his eyes. They stared at each other, and he felt an intense intimacy between them, as well as a gravitational pull. He wanted to close the distance between them.

As if feeling the same way, Ushijima leaned forward towards him. Tendou swallowed down an excited squeak, not wanting to ruin the moment. Was Ushijima about to kiss him?

Yes, he was. 

As their lips pressed together, Tendou closed his eyes. His first kiss, with his first crush, and it was everything he could have hoped for. Ushijima's lips were soft and warm. Excitement rushed throughout Tendou's whole body; he bounced one leg slightly, needing an outlet for his rush of happiness. 

So this was a kiss; he decided he quite liked the feeling of it. It was tender and warm and delightful. It wasn't even over, and yet he already wanted another one. And another, and another. 

He brought his hand to the front of Ushijima's shirt, pulling the man closer. He wasn't ready for this moment to end, and maybe he never would be. He was completely lost in the kiss, just like when he got absorbed in drawing. All his focus was on the way Ushijima's lips felt against his own, and nothing else in the world mattered. The kiss was slow and steady. The two men caught their breath between each soft kiss, returning for more after each brief separation for air. 

Tendou felt like his whole body was rushing with warmth. He also felt out of breath as if he had been jogging, and he was incredibly overwhelmed with joy.

Their lips moved against each other for another moment before Ushijima pulled back. He looked at Tendou with what was definitely amusement. "It took you longer than I expected to give me your phone number. I was actually going to give you mine today. That's what I had originally planned to give you."

Tendou smiled playfully as delight bubbled through him. "I really like what you gave me instead, though."

Ushijima gave a small grin. "I assumed that you would after I saw your sketch of us. I'll cherish it forever. Should I use it as my profile picture?"

Tendou started blushing and swatted a hand in the air. "Ah, um. For everyone to see us, like that, naked? I'm not sure…"

Ushijima laughed heartily. It was the first time Tendou had heard him do so, and it was a beautifully deep sound. "I was just teasing you. I'll put it up in my bedroom where it's more private. May I take you on a lunch date, if you're free for a while?"

Tendou gave Ushijima an amused look and then giggled. The man really did have a dry sense of humor. "The bedroom is a much more appropriate place for that drawing. And yes...I'd love to join you for lunch."

The two men got up and walked out of the classroom.

Tendou hesitantly reached for Ushijima's hand when they got outside, hovering just near it but not quite touching. He wasn't sure if they were at the public hand holding point of their relationship yet.

But Ushijima noticed Tendou's hand and caught it with his own, holding it firmly.

Tendou looked at their hands, then looked up at Ushijima's face. They smiled at each other as they walked away from the art school. He had never been so excited to go eat lunch before, and it had everything to do with the man walking beside him.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> [Here's art for a scene in this chapter.](https://spacejammie-eimmajecaps.tumblr.com/post/635221219703226368/this-is-my-favorite-fic-art-so-far-i-probably-say)
> 
> [Follow the artist here, she's awesome.](https://twitter.com/yna_arts?s=09)


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